House Made Jalapeño Sausage Sandwich Recipe

Prepare meat and fat

Trim any silver skin from pork shoulder and cut into 1-inch cubes. Chill meat and pork fat in the freezer for 20–30 minutes until very cold but not frozen solid; this helps with a clean grind.

Grind

Using a coarse grind plate (about 1/4"), grind the chilled pork shoulder and pork fat together into a large mixing bowl set over ice to keep cold.

Combine seasonings and jalapeños

Add the finely chopped house-made pickled jalapeños, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, brown sugar, paprika, and ground cumin to the ground meat. Pour in the house-made pickle brine and half of the ice water. Mix vigorously with gloved hands or a stand mixer with paddle until mixture becomes tacky and sticky (3–5 minutes). Add remaining ice water if mixture feels too dry. Taste a small raw patty by cooking quickly in a skillet (optional) and adjust seasoning as needed.

Soak and load casings

Thoroughly rinse hog casings under cold running water and soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Fit a sausage stuffer or coarse nozzle on a stand mixer attachment and load the sausage stuffer with the meat mixture.

Stuff and portion

Slide the rinsed casings onto the stuffer tube, leaving a 6" tail. Fill casings firmly but not overstuffed. Twist sausages into 6–7 oz links (about 5–6" long) to yield 8 links. Prick any large air pockets with a needle and reform links if necessary.

Rest

Place formed sausages on a tray, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to let flavors meld. If you plan to cook later, sausages can be refrigerated up to 48 hours or frozen for up to 3 months (label and vacuum or wrap tightly).

Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add neutral oil and allow to shimmer.

Place chilled sausages in the skillet, leaving space between each link. Brown on the first side for 3–4 minutes until a golden crust forms. Turn and brown other sides, about 2–3 minutes per side, rotating until evenly browned.

Lower heat to medium-low, add 1/4 cup water to the pan and cover immediately. Steam for 6–8 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) measured with an instant-read thermometer. Remove lid and cook an additional minute to evaporate excess moisture and re-crisp the casings if needed.

Warm Martin potato buns: halve buns and spread a thin layer of softened butter on cut sides. Toast buttered sides on a griddle or skillet over medium heat until golden and crisp, about 1–2 minutes.

Prepare condiments: in a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and yellow mustard to taste (the quantities above yield roughly equal parts — adjust preference).

Build sandwiches: spread a generous spoonful of mustard-mayo on both cut sides of the toasted bun. Place a cooked jalapeño sausage link on the bottom bun. Top the sausage with 1–2 tablespoons of sliced house pickles and 1–2 tablespoons of sliced pickled jalapeños for extra heat. Add a handful (about 1/4 cup) of shredded iceberg lettuce if using. Close with top bun.

Serve: serve immediately while sausages are hot. Note: menu policy states NO SUBSTITUTIONS — ensure house pickles and pickled jalapeños are used and Martin potato bun is served.